


Not Far Enough

by KittyKat1026



Category: The Kissing Booth (2018)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:47:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25018003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyKat1026/pseuds/KittyKat1026
Summary: When Elle Evans starts her first year at Yale, she plans to make it one she will remember. Unfortunately, it will be one to remember but not in the way she thinks.
Relationships: Elle Evans/Noah Flynn
Comments: 6
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

Hi guys! This idea randomly popped into my head, so I thought I'd write it out. Let me know if you think I should keep going with this.

Hope you enjoy!

—

It was the first day of my first year of college. I'd been waiting for this day to come since I was a kid, but for some reason, I wasn't as excited as I thought I'd be. So much had happened in the last few months that made the thought of my first day at Yale less than stellar.

Today was supposed to be great, but being almost 3,000 miles away from my best friend nearly killed me. How was I supposed to go through the year without Lee by my side? This was the first time in my entire life that I'd done something so drastic without him right next to me. And to top it all off, Noah was only about 2 hours away. When I had applied to Yale, that was the plan. He and I would visit each other every weekend, making the long-distance relationship not so long-distance. But that was before the day he decided he couldn't do it anymore. That I wasn't worth the extra effort. Did he specifically say that? No, but I know that's what he meant. I'd known him my whole life. I knew exactly what he meant.

So there I was, sitting on the edge of my bed, staring out the window of my dorm room, trying to will myself to grab my books and go to class. I jumped, hearing my phone ding.

Happy first day! Don't fuck it up. -Lee

The message caused a smile to appear on my lips. Lee knew me too well.

After typing a quick reply to Lee, I grabbed my bag and made my way out of my dorm, towards my first class.

I hoped the day wouldn't be too stressful. Because of my soccer scholarship, I had to move in 2 weeks earlier with the rest of the team. Thankfully, I had Lee fly out with me to help me get settled and find my classes. Berkeley didn't start until a week after Yale, and I couldn't help but feel disappointed that I couldn't do the same for him. Granted, he had Rachel, so I doubted he would be too lonely.

I looked at the welcome banners on every building, welcoming incoming students and advertising the various sporting events that were coming up. That's when I saw it. A football banner. Yale versus Harvard. Tonight at 5. Not even one month into the school year and I was going to run into Noah. Just my luck.

I spent the rest of the day focused on my classes, but when my mind began to drift, I couldn't help but contemplate whether I should go to the game or not. Surely, he'd assume I'd go, so if I didn't, would he know I was avoiding him? Would he even look to see if I was there? Would he even care?

Before I could get too caught up in my thoughts, my biology professor dismissed us for the day. I couldn't even be happy about finishing my first day at Yale in one piece. As usual, my mind was preoccupied with a certain Flynn brother, and not the one I missed like crazy.

I pulled out my phone to text Lee. He'd know what to do.

We're playing Harvard tonight. My first college football game. Do I go? He's gonna obviously be there.

As soon as the message sent, Lee called me.

"Are you crazy? Are you really going to let my dickhead of a brother rob you from a once-in-a-lifetime experience? You'll never have your first college football game on your first day of college again. Go. And if-"

In that moment, I had been so caught up with what Lee was saying that I ran straight into someone.

"Shit. Sorry." I muttered. My stomach dropped as I looked into those familiar hazel eyes.

"Hey, Shelley."


	2. Chapter 2

“Lee, I’m gonna have to call you back.”

I stared up at Noah, unsure of what to say. He had that signature Noah Flynn smirk that he knew messed with my head. 

“Noah! What are you doing here?” I said, faking happiness. “Wait, football. Of course. That was a stupid question. I didn’t know Harvard had already started. I just assumed you and a few friends went to the lakehouse or something early.” 

What was I saying? I was completely rambling, and there he was, knowing that smile would cause it. 

He let out a chuckle. “Yeah, we started a few days ago. The team had to be back early to get ready for tonight’s game. I didn’t know you were still planning on going to Yale after...”

“After you dumped me?” I finished. There was no way I was going to give him the satisfaction of brushing what happened under the rug. “I thought about going to other schools, but I would’ve been out of my mind to pass up the opportunity.”

Just as Noah was about to say something, I heard my name being called. I turned and smiled, noticing Eli jogging over. 

Eli and I had met on my first day of classes. He was a sophomore on the football team, just like Noah, but that was where the similarities stopped. Eli was practically Lee in another body. 

“There’s my favorite freshman. How was your first day?” He asked, draping an arm around my shoulders. I could feel Noah’s stare. 

“It was pretty good, actually. I’m just ready for a nap.” I turned to Noah. “Eli, this is Noah Flynn, Lee’s brother. Noah, this is-“

“Eli Hastings.” Noah muttered. “We know each other from last year’s games.”

Eli chuckled, “Aw, come on, Flynn. I know you’re still mad about last year’s game, but we have tonight as a rematch.” He turned towards me. “Last year, I laid him out on the field a few times.”

“That was you?” I asked, trying my hardest to keep from laughing. I remembered Noah complaining after a game where he was sacked six times. At the time, I was worried about his safety. This time, I just hoped Eli would hit seven. 

“Yeah, it was.” Eli said with a smile, “Listen, I gotta head to the locker room to get ready, but I’ll see you tonight, right? You better be there.” 

I let out a sigh and nodded. Maybe if I went with a few of Eli’s non-football friends, it would be easier to stay for the entire game.

“I’ll see you on the field, Flynn.” Eli turned back to me with a wink. “And I’ll see you tonight at the after party.” He said before jogging towards the football locker room.

Before I could say anything, Noah let out an angry breath. “You do have a type, Shelley.” He said with a humorless laugh. 

“It’s not like that, Noah, and you of all people should understand that whatever I do in my life is none of your business anymore.”

“Elle, I-“ he shook his head. “I’ll see you around.”

I glared at him. “Why do you always do this? You say you want something but act like you want the opposite. Nothing is ever good enough for you, is it, Noah?” 

Noah looked like he wanted to say something but just decided to turn around and walk away. 

I shook my head, not wanting to give him another thought. I was going to have fun tonight, despite Noah being there. This was my time, my college experience, and I wasn’t going to let him ruin it. 

—

When I made it back to my dorm, I walked in to find my roommate, Samantha, sitting at her desk. “Hey, Eli dropped something off for you. It’s on your bed.”

I raised an eyebrow as I walked over to find his away jersey laying on the bed. “You know, I’m not sure if Eli wants me to fit in or just to piss off my ex.”

Samatha laughed, turning around in her chair. “Knowing Eli, it’s both.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled the jersey over my head. 

“Are you coming with us to the game?” She asked me, looking through her closet to find the perfect outfit for the game. 

“Yeah, I’ll meet you guys there. I just have to call Lee really fast.” I said, pulling out my phone to FaceTime my best friend. Immediately, he answered. 

“What the hell happened back there, Elle? You never cut me off like that.”

I gulped. “I literally ran into Noah. Face in chest, books falling, run into.”

“Holy shit. That’s some bad timing right there. By the way, whose jersey is that? That doesn’t look like one you can buy from the bookstore.”

I tugged on the hem of the jersey, “It’s Eli’s. Did you know he was the one who sacked Noah six times last season?”

“That was him? Jesus, Elle. You sure do know how to pick ‘em.”

“I didn’t pick him. You know he’s just a friend.”

“Yeah, but does he know that? And more importantly, does my brother know that? Because if Noah doesn’t, I think you should keep this going for a while, just to get under his skin.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Goodbye, Lee. I’ll tell you how tonight goes when I get back.”

“You better tell me every single detail, especially if Noah does something stupid.”

With that, I hung up. 

I looked at my watch to see I was perfectly on time to meet everyone at the tailgate party. 

I made my way down to the stadium and quickly found everyone. Samatha handed me a beer and introduced me to everyone. 

“Oh, Elle!” Jacob said, pulling out a ticket for me. “Eli said this will take you down to the field before the game. Said he wanted to talk to you.”

I raised an eyebrow as I looked over the ticket. “I guess I should head down there before the game starts, huh?” I chugged the last of my beer and tossed the can into the trash before walking in. 

I handed the man my ticket and was escorted down a few flights of stairs. Pretty soon, I was standing on the sidelines. From where I stood, I could see both teams warming up. Almost immediately, my eyes found Noah. My heart fluttered the way it used to before... No. I stopped myself. I couldn’t be having any feelings towards Noah Flynn. That’s what got me into trouble last time. 

“Elle!” At the sound of my name being called, Noah’s head lifted and his eyes met mine for a moment before I turned towards Eli. “I’m glad you found my surprise on your bed.” He chuckled, taking my hand. 

I looked at him for a moment. By wearing his jersey, did he think...? “Eli, listen. You’re a sweet guy and all but-“

Eli shook his head with a laugh. “I know you don’t think of me as anything more than a friend. I get that. I just know that Flynn messed you up really badly and Lee suggested I keep an eye on that situation.”

Suddenly, Lee’s comments made sense. “You and Lee think it’s a good idea to make Noah think I’m dating you?”

“I know it’s childish, but we didn’t see any harm in it. Either he realizes he messed up and wants you back, you both lose feelings for each other, or you and I end up at the end of a crappy romantic comedy and end up together. In the process, you get to experience of living your life without him and it messes with his head, just like he messed with yours. If said head messing helps us win this game, I’m not going to complain, either.”

“You and Lee are the exact same person, I swear.”

Eli slowly wrapped an arm around my waist, a mischievous smile on his lips. “So what do you say?”

I could feel Noah’s gaze on me again, without even looking over. Without another word, I moved onto my toes and pressed my lips against Eli’s. It was a nice kiss, nothing to get excited about, but there was something in my brain that made me feel giddy. Maybe it was because I hadn’t kissed anyone, except for Noah, until now. Maybe it was because I knew that he now knew he wasn’t the only one I’d ever kissed. Maybe it was just the possibility that he was watching this, now feeling the same hurt I did when he dumped me over a voicemail. 

When I pulled away, Eli chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes. Stay on the sidelines for the game. You, Elle Evans, are going to be my good luck charm.”


	3. Chapter 3

The game was more exciting that I expected it to be. Yale and Harvard were neck and neck the entire game. Eli got in a few good hits, a few on Noah, as well. Surprisingly, I didn’t even worry about Noah getting hurt. I knew he had dealt with worse from Tuppen in high school. I felt more free than I had in a long time. Maybe it was the real possibility of getting over Noah in a few weeks time? Because every time Eli pointed to me before a play, causing my new friends behind me to scream from the stands, I felt more and more like I belonged there. 

It was down to the last thirty seconds. We were down by 3 and Harvard had the ball. I watched Noah carefully. He hadn’t played so aggressively since his junior year of high school. What was going on with him? Then, as if he knew I was thinking about him, he looked directly at me. The look on his face nearly broke me. A whistle broke us both out of our trance. As Noah looked around at his possible receiver options, I could see Eli running at him. A second after the ball left his fingertips, Eli jumped up to catch it, running it back to the opposite end zone just as time ran out, winning the game. 

Eli dropped the ball onto the field and ran over to me, picking me up and kissing me. The crowd in the stands was screaming and cheering, happy to take home the first win of the season. I could barely hear myself think. 

A camera crew ran over to Eli to interview him about the final play. I tried to take a step back to give him his moment to shine, but he pulled me back, wrapping an arm around my waist. He winked at me before looking towards the interviewer. 

“Eli, that was an incredible play, winning the game for Yale. How do you feel?”

“I feel pretty damn good.” He laughed. “We just went out there, played with our heart and souls, and had a good luck charm on the sidelines.”

I blushed at his words, feeling him kiss my temple. 

When the camera crew left, Eli smiled down at me. “You know, when I said to be a good luck charm, I didn’t think you’d be so good at it.” He laughed. “I’m gonna get showered and change into some clean clothes. Then we can head to the party.”

I nodded, kissing his cheek. “I’ll meet you outside the stadium.”

As soon as Eli was out of sight, I felt a hand on my arm, pulling me into one of the tunnels. I looked up to see Noah. Of course. 

“Noah, what the hell?”

“What the hell? I should be asking the same to you! What the fuck was that back there? You said it wasn’t like that between you two, yet you’re making out with him on the sidelines.”

“Why does it matter to you?”

“It just doesn’t, alright? Now let’s get you back to your dorm.”

I pulled away from him quickly. “You’re not the boss of me, Noah. I’m going to live my college life the way I want to, not how you think I should live it. If you wanted to be able to keep tabs on me and follow me around, you shouldn’t have left that voicemail.”

—

When I got to the party, I immediately found Eli and Samantha. The two seemed to be getting closer. Maybe when all of this was over, Elle could set them up with each other. After all, the game was won. Eli got what he wanted out of this arrangement. 

Eli’s face lit up as he saw me. “There’s my girl. I got worried when I couldn’t find you outside of the stadium.” 

“Uh, yeah. I had to talk to someone.” The two looked at me with raised eyebrows. “Noah pulled me aside and bitched at me for everything.”

“Well, he must not have bitched enough because look who just came in.” Samatha muttered. 

I turned around to see Noah and a few of his teammates walk in. The other Harvard players walked into the kitchen to get drinks, greeting the people they had met the season before. It seemed that the two teams were pretty friendly with each other, with the exception of Noah. 

Throughout the night, I could see Noah out of the corner of my eye. I knew he was watching me. When one of the cheerleaders bumped into him, I took it as an opportunity to run. I grabbed Eli and Samantha’s hands and weaved through the crowd of people, out of Noah’s sight. 

—

(Noah’s POV)

Where did she go? When I looked back to where she had been with her friend and...him, they were gone. She must’ve known I was watching. 

I wish I wasn’t like this, really. I wish I wasn’t so damn in love with her. I wish I wasn’t stupid enough to have left that voicemail. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hastings, his fingers tangled in Elle’s dark brown hair as he backed her into a vacant bedroom. I don’t care how much she hates me, I can’t let her screw some guy she barely knows at a party.

I walked through the crowd and up the stairs, trying to remember which door it was. “Blue door, blue door...” I muttered to myself. That’s when I heard it. A giggle, a zipper, and a moan. His away jersey that Elle had been wearing was hanging on the door handle. 

Without thinking, I kicked open the door. “Get the fuck off of her, Hastings!” I yelled. But what I was met with was something I didn’t expect. It was Hastings but he was with someone else. Someone that wasn’t Elle. I didn’t know whether to be happy or even more angry. How could this lowlife screw someone behind Elle’s back? And of all people, it was the girl he had seen Elle hanging out with, probably a friend. 

“What the fuck is going on? Where’s Elle?”

“Noah?” 

I turned around to see Elle behind me in an oversized Yale sweatshirt. Looking closer, it looked like the one I had worn when she was first accepted into the school. 

I quickly closed the door behind me, leaving me with just Elle in the hallway. “You don’t need to see what’s going on in there. Listen, Hastings is-“

“Hooking up with my roommate, Samantha. Yeah, I know. I suggested it.”

Now I was really confused. 

“Noah, let’s take a walk and we can talk like civilized adults. Do you think you can handle that?”

I followed her out of the party, towards a little park down the street. She sat down on a swing and looked up at me. 

“Eli and I weren’t together. He and Lee thought it would be a good idea to help me get over you. It would mess with you enough that you messed up during the game, and I would get the experience of being with someone who wasn’t you.”

I stared at her, not sure of what to say. “So...everything was a lie, just to fuck with me?”

“Not entirely. Not on my side, at least. I just saw it as a fast pass to getting over you. But when I walked into the party, I saw Samantha and Eli laughing and sitting close and I realized they were perfect for each other. I wasn’t going to keep this going and possibly ruin their chances with each other, just to get over you. How pathetic is that? Almost as bad as agreeing to it, in the first place.”

She avoided my eyes, staring at the grass in front of her. Seeing her like this broke my heart. Knowing that I indirectly played a part in her current state made it worse. 

“Elle,” I started, taking a step closer to her. “When I left that voicemail, I wasn’t completely honest. I was doing shit during practice, coach said I was too distracted. One of my teammates made a joke about how it was because you and I were on the phone for hours, keeping me awake. My grades were going down because I was so tired in class and wasn’t paying attention. I almost lost academic eligibility. Coach said I had to get my shit sorted out or I was off the team. It was a stupid decision I made, Elle. I should’ve just talked to you, but I didn’t want you to blame yourself because I should’ve been more responsible. You just assumed I had finished everything by the time we talked.” 

I sat down on my knees so that I was at eye level with her my hands just above hers on the chain of the swing. “I’m sorry, Elle. So fucking sorry. I never should’ve chosen football over you, and I never should’ve broken up with you through a fucking voicemail. I was terrified that I’d hear your voice and chicken out.”

Elle stared at me. With every passing second I got more worried that she’d completely give up on me. That she’d hit me or yell at me. But then she placed her hand on my cheek. 

“It’s okay, Noah.” She whispered. “I get it. I didn’t fit in your world anymore.”

“No! That’s not it, Elle. I wanted to go back to when we were in high school, sneaking around. I thought things would be as easy as they were back then. We’d talk when we could, sneak away to see each other when we could. I quickly realized that it wasn’t as easy as I’d thought. I freaked out.” I let out a sigh. “A week after I left that voicemail, I flew home to see you. I needed to fix things. I drove up to the school and saw you with Tuppen. You were sitting close and laughing. I didn’t know if you had moved on or not, and I didn’t want to find out, so I got on the first flight back.”

“I remember that day. I had been moping around because of the breakup and Tuppen was trying to cheer me up. He brought me burgers for lunch and told me really crazy stories about his family. Honestly, they need a reality show.” She laughed quietly. “It was the first time I’d laughed since I listened to the voicemail.”

“I’m sorry, Elle.” I whispered, feeling more like shit than before. 

Her eyes met mine and she moved closer. I could feel my heartbeat start to quicken. 

“You regret that voicemail?”

“Of course, I do, Elle! How can you ask-“ She placed her finger against my lips. 

“And you swear you’ll be honest with me from now on? No more keeping things from me?”

I nodded. Where was she going with this?

“Do you want another chance?”

It was then that I realized exactly what she was asking. Without answering, I quickly leaned forward, pressing my lips against hers. It was a feeling I’d craved for too long. When I felt her fingers tangle in my hair, I wrapped arms around her waist, pulling her into my lap. 

After a few minutes, I pulled away to look at her. Her cheeks were flushed, lips slightly swollen, and her big eyes were as beautiful as ever. 

“Let’s head back to my hotel room.” I stopped, realizing how that must’ve sounded. “I figured we could order Chinese food and rent a movie or something. I have a feeling your room is gonna he be occupied tonight.” 

Elle let out a laugh, kissing my lips again. 

“Let’s go.”


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, I opened my eyes to see Noah Flynn next to me. I smiled, thinking about the night before. Sure, we didn't plan the events that took place when we got back to the hotel, but neither of us would regret it. 

I slowly got out of bed and pulled on one of Noah's shirts and my shorts from the day before. After writing a quick note to Noah, I walked down the street to get some coffee and a few donuts. 

As I was waiting for my order, I heard my name being whispered behind me. I turned around two see two girls peering over at me. 

"That's her." I heard one say. 

"I can't believe she'd do that. Poor Eli."

No. They couldn't be talking about-

"Here's your order, Miss." The man at the counter said, handing me the coffees and donuts. 

I walked back to the hotel, replaying that moment in my head. What do people think happened? The most publicized part of my few days at Yale was that football game, but no one knew it was fake. Everyone must think I was with Eli and then hooked up with Noah behind his back. Fuck. 

When I walked into the room, Noah was already awake, a smile on his face. "Morning, beautiful." 

I handed him his coffee and the bag of donuts before sitting on the edge of the bed. "I haven't even gotten to my second week of college and everyone already thinks I'm a slut."

"What are you talking about?" Noah moved closer to me. "What's going on?"

"At the donut shop, two girls were whispering about me. They said 'Poor Eli'. Noah, the last thing anyone saw was Eli kissing me at the end of the game."

"Yeah, and all through it, too." He muttered. 

I rolled my eyes at his comment. "Not important. Only our close circle knows the truth, and everyone at that party would just assume we broke up because, as you witnessed, Eli and Samantha got to know each other really well last night."

"Hey, look at me." Noah gently grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "Ignore them. The truth will come out, soon enough, okay? I'm not the biggest fan of your little plan, but it got us back together, didn't it?"

"But Noah, I won't have you with me after tomorrow. We haven't even discussed if we're getting back together or not. This isn't so simple."

"What if I transferred to Yale?"

"Noah, that's-"

"No, seriously. Hear me out. I transfer here through football. Eli and I will hang out publicly with you and Samantha. Everything will be fine. We'll be in the same place again, we can sneak into empty classrooms, like we used to. We could even find a co-ed dorm room and we could live together."

"Noah, stop. I know that sounds perfect and everything, but we can't do it." I took his hand and brought it up to my lips. "I won't let you leave your dream school for me, and I won't leave Yale for you because Harvard's soccer team sucks." I said, small smile on my lips. "Two hours. That's all we have between us now. If that's what you want, I mean. If you don't want to get back-" I was cut off by his lips on mine. 

"Stop talking." He chuckled. "Do you think I'd go through all of this if I didn't want to get back together?" 

I rested my forehead on his shoulder, letting out a sigh. "I'm really glad you thought Eli was in that room with me." I let out a giggle. "You were really pissed as you walked up those stairs."

"Well, yeah! I thought you were hooking up with someone who wasn't me! Why wouldn't I be pissed off?"

I looked up at him, his classic Noah Flynn smile on his face. God, I loved him. 

"Let's eat."

—

When we finally got back to my dorm, we found Eli pulling his shirt on and Samantha fixing her hair. "I'm really glad we took our time getting here. I don't need to see as much as Noah did last night." I teased, tossing my bag onto my bed. "And thank you for leaving my bed untouched. Much appreciated."

Eli just laughed while Samatha blushed. "Yeah, well, the plan may not have worked as well as Lee hoped. I mean, it kind of had the opposite outcome." He said, gesturing between me and Noah. 

"Sorry about last night, man. I saw you with a brunette, the jersey Elle was wearing on the door handle..."

Eli shook his head. "No need to apologize. I would've thought the same thing. I'm just glad no one got hurt and everything worked out."

Noah walked over to me and sat on the bed, pulling me onto his lap. I closed my eyes for a moment, leaning back against him. 

"Well," Samatha said, standing up. "Eli and I will leave you two alone for a little bit. I'm sure you want to get in every minute together before the Harvard bus takes off tomorrow." She grabbed Eli's hand and pulled him out of the room. 

I felt Noah's lips against the side of my neck. "You know, I could always transfer and we could be like this every night."

I opened my eyes to look at him. "Don't tempt me."

Not having Noah around was hard enough when we were broken up. Now that I have him back, I know it will be even harder. We'll just have to see how everything works out.


	5. Chapter 5

When it finally came time for Noah to go back to Harvard, I was rather proud of myself for not showing my true feelings. Of course, he knew what I was thinking and feeling, but he never pointed them out. My guess is that he felt the same way. Hope for the future but sadness for the present. 

Before I could get too lost in my thoughts, I felt Noah's fingers run through my hair. 

"I'll see you soon, Shelly." He said with that smile that always made me melt. "It's only a couple of hours now."

I nodded, pressing my lips against his for a moment. "Still sucks." I muttered. 

Noah wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in for a tight hug. I could stay there forever and never complain. 

A horn pulled us out of our trance. 

"There's my ride." He said sadly, looking over at the bus filled with the Harvard football team. "We've got this."

I put on a brave face and gave him one last hug before letting him go. 

I watched as the bus left the Yale campus, only walking away when I could no longer see the crimson bus. 

When I was back in my dorm, I pulled out my textbooks, starting on some of my homework. I figured I'd get a head start before soccer practice. At least those were two distractions from Noah. 

—

The next few weeks went by pretty slowly. A few soccer games here, a few class reports there. Nothing to write home about. I hated how little I was talking to Noah. Hell, I barely even talked to Lee. It was the first time I hadn't talked to him every day since he and his family went to Italy for the summer when we were twelve. 

After soccer practice, I took my phone out of my backpack and pulled up FaceTime. Within seconds, the screen was filled my best friend's face. 

"Howdy, stranger." He greeted. 

"I miss you." I said immediately. 

Lee let out a laugh. "You're a sap, you know that? But I miss you too."

"I can't wait till Thanksgiving. We'll all be home, and things will be back to normal for a little while." I sat down on a bench, lifting my leg up to rest my chin on my knee. "Are you sure you don't want to transfer?"

"It's honestly crossed my mind."

I raised an eyebrow, unsure if he was serious or not. "Like, seriously? Or are you just messing with me?"

"I'm serious, Elle. I don't have a lot keeping me here. The school is great, but I feel kind of..."

"Alone?" I finished for him. "Yeah, I know the feeling."

"Don't you and Noah see each other all the time? You're two hours away."

"Not really. I haven't seen him, in person, since he was here. I have my games, he has his. Our schedules don't really sync up."

Lee nodded, biting down on his lip. "I think I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna look into transferring next semester."

My heart felt like it was going to burst. "Really? You'd do that?"

"Elle, we should've known that we don't exist well, living so far apart. Besides, who else is going to make sure my brother stays in line?"

"Lee, you're the best, you know that?"

"So I've been told."

Just as I was about to respond, Noah's caller ID photo filled my screen. "Hey, Lee?"

"Go talk to Noah. I'll talk to my mom about everything and tell you what happens. Love you, E."

"Love you too. I'll call you tomorrow." I said before accepting Noah's call. 

"Hey, you."

"There's my girl." He said, a huge grin on his face. "God, I miss you."

"Well, it looks like both of the Flynn boys are missing their daily dose of Elle Evans. Should I expect a call from your dad, as well?" I joked. 

Noah playfully rolled his eyes, letting out a laugh. "How was your day today?"

"Boring, as usual. I just got out of practice. I can't wait until the end of the season. I can't believe I'm saying that. It's just a lot of pressure. Practice, games, traveling, and then worrying about my classes...how did you do it?"

"If you remember correctly, I wasn't doing so great with my grades during my first year. Don't worry, it'll get easier." He leaned forward slightly, getting closer to the camera. "Listen, I was thinking about Thanksgiving, and I was thinking that maybe you could come up here and we can have our own thing, instead of going back to California. We'll be there a few weeks later for winter break, anyway."

What Noah was suggesting was so tempting. A whole week of nothing but Noah? It sounded perfect, but I couldn't do that to Lee, especially after the conversation we'd just had. 

"Noah, that sounds incredible, but I can't. Lee...he needs me to come home right now. He's going through some stuff, and without Rachel, he doesn't really have anyone to lean on right now."

I could see the slight anger behind Noah's eyes. "Yeah, I get it. Lee comes first."

"No, it's not that. It's..."

"It is, Elle. I know better than anyone that Lee comes before everyone else." He didn't sound mad, despite his words. If anything, he sounded sad, disappointed. 

"Noah, I love you. I want nothing more than to spend an entire week with you, but Lee needs me. I need to see him, just like he'd do for me." I took a deep breath. "What if you and I get a hotel room down in Venice Beach for a week during Winter break?"

At those words, I saw a small smile creep into his face. I always knew how to get that back. 

"You, Elle Evans, definitely know how to make it up to people."

I pulled out my planner and skimmed the calendar. "So I was thinking I could drive up there and we can fly back home together. My last class on Friday is at three. We can get a later flight, get a hotel room for the first night so we don't bother anyone by asking them to pick us up."

"Yeah, you're too good at making it up to me."

I looked down at my watch. "I gotta get my homework done or I'll be dead before I even get to Friday. Talk to you tomorrow?"

"I'll call you after my last class. I love you, Elle. Don't forget, just four more days."

"I love you too, dork." I said before hanging up. 

Four days. I can last that long. 

A/N

Hi guys! Thanks so much for the love on this story! The next couple chapters will probably be filler chapters to get to the bigger story. If things go as planned in my head, things should get very interesting from here.

Also, I’m more active and update faster on Wattpad, due to the ease of uploading over there. If I don’t update here for a while, the story may be updated over there.


	6. Chapter 6

As I drove to Harvard, I couldn't help but let my mind wander. How would this next week pan out? I knew I had to spend some time with Lee. He needed me right now. Noah would understand that, wouldn't he? I hoped so. Maybe he'd notice something was up with his brother and understand? Maybe he wants to hang out with his friends from high school, and I can hang out with Lee then? Worst case scenario, I knew his mom would help me out and distract him for a little bit. 

If Lee was serious about transferring, it could make everything so much easier. I wouldn't have to worry about splitting my time between the two Flynn brothers. Things would almost go back to normal. 

I couldn't help but laugh at the realization that the two had both expressed interest in transferring. It took every bit of strength in me to turn down Noah's suggestion, but honestly, having Lee there with me would be so much better. Sometimes the two needed space, and having them both at Yale would throw me into the same situation I'm in now. Why did I have to fall for my best friend's brother? 

Before I could get too caught up in my thoughts, I was at the front gates of Harvard University. I stopped at the booth towards the entrance.

"I'm here to pick up Noah Flynn for Thanksgiving break." 

The security guard nodded and directed me towards the dorms. I thanked him before following his directions. 

Harvard and Yale had their similarities, campus-wise. There was a lot of greenery and statues, but the amount of red brick buildings definitely showed their differences. I was so caught up in my surroundings that I almost missed the turn for the dorms. 

I pulled into a visitor's parking spot and stepped out of the car, pulling my jacket a little tighter around my body. It was only November, but I wasn't even close to used to the colder weather of the east coast. 

When I arrived at Noah's room, I pulled off my gloves before knocking on the door. Seconds later, the door swung open and I was in the air, held up by a set of familiar strong arms. 

"There's my girl." Noah said before pressing his lips to mine for a moment. 

"Were you waiting by the door or something?" I laughed. "Come on. We have to leave now, or we're gonna be late for our flight."

Noah reluctantly placed me back on the ground. "Yes, let's not miss our flight and have to spend an extra night here together." 

I rolled my eyes as I grabbed his backpack from the ground. "As much fun as that sounds, I'd rather sleep on a hotel bed tonight."

As soon as I mentioned the hotel, it was like Noah instantly remembered our plans. He pulled his suitcase out of his room and locked it, immediately leading me back towards the exit. I couldn't help but laugh. That was Noah, for you. Forgetful, funny, instinctual, perfect Noah Flynn. 

—

Once we were in our hotel room, I collapsed onto the king-sized bed. I'd never been the biggest fan of airplanes, and the anxiety that came from the flight definitely exhausted me. When I felt Noah sit next to me, I rolled over onto my side to look up at him. "We're home. Back in ninety-degree weather." I said with a small laugh. 

Noah reached over to tuck a bit of hair behind my ear. "As cheesy as this may sound, home is wherever you are. I realized that last year."

I felt my heart skip a beat at his words. He was something out of a romance novel, I swear. The way he looked, his personality, and the look he was giving me...he was just perfect. 

I sat up to kiss his cheek. "Okay, you big sap. I'm gonna take a shower and you are going to order room service."

"How about I order food now and join you in the shower? That way, our food will be here when we get out."

I knew what he was getting at, but I couldn't argue with that logic. Damn Harvard for making him so logical. 

"You win this round." I said with a fake glare before walking into the bathroom. 

I could hear Noah's chuckle from around the corner. I leaned against the doorframe, peeking around to see him pick up the phone and start ordering food.

After we had our dinner, I got everything set for the morning. I had to make sure that we could leave as soon as possible. I didn't want to worry Noah with what was going on with Lee. After all, he'd probably find out sooner or later. 

When Noah pulled me into bed, I immediately felt the exhaustion from the day. I wrapped my arms around his waist, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. Despite being in the most peaceful place possible, I couldn't help but worry about the next few weeks. Something in my brain told me that something was coming, just like it did the day before Lee found out about me and Noah. I shrugged it off. Whatever it was, I could handle it. It couldn't be worse than anything I'd dealt with before...right?


End file.
